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Haiti

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Background: The native Taino Amerindians - who inhabited the island of Hispaniola when it was discovered by COLUMBUS in 1492 - were virtually annihilated by Spanish settlers within 25 years. In the early 17th century, the French established a presence on Hispaniola. In 1697, Spain ceded to the French the western third of the island, which later became Haiti. The French colony, based on forestry and sugar-related industries, became one of the wealthiest in the Caribbean but only through the heavy importation of African slaves and considerable environmental degradation. In the late 18th century, Haiti's nearly half million slaves revolted under Toussaint L'OUVERTURE. After a prolonged struggle, Haiti became the first black republic to declare independence in 1804. The poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, Haiti has been plagued by political violence for most of its history. After an armed rebellion led to the forced resignation and exile of President Jean-Bertrand ARISTIDE in February 2004, an interim government took office to organize new elections under the auspices of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH). Continued violence and technical delays prompted repeated postponements, but Haiti finally did inaugurate a democratically elected president and parliament in May of 2006. A massive magnitude 7.0 earthquake struck Haiti in January 2010 with an epicenter about 15 km southwest of the capital, Port-au-Prince. An estimated 2 million people live within the zone of heavy to moderate structural damage. The earthquake is assessed as the worst in this region over the last 200 years and massive international assistance will be required to help the country recover.Location: Caribbean, western one-third of the island of Hispaniola, between the Caribbean Sea and the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Dominican RepublicArea land: 27,560 sq kmArea water: 190 sq kmCoastline: 1,771 kmCountry name conventional long form: Republic of HaitiCountry name conventional short form: HaitiCountry name former: Republic of HaitiPopulation: 9,719,932Age structure: 0-14 years: 35.9% (male 1,748,677/female 1,742,199); 15-64 years: 60.1% (male 2,898,251/female 2,947,272); 65 years and over: 3.9% (male 170,584/female 212,949) (2011 est.);Population growth rate: 0.787%Birth rate: 24.4 births/1,000 population (2011 est.)Death rate: 8.21 deaths/1,000 populationNet migration rate: -8.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2011 est.)Sex ratio: at birth: 1.011 male(s)/female; under 15 years: 1.02 male(s)/female; 15-64 years: 0.99 male(s)/female; 65 years and over: 0.62 male(s)/female; total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2011 est.);Infant mortality rate: total: 54.02 deaths/1,000 live births; male: 58.16 deaths/1,000 live births; female: 49.83 deaths/1,000 live births;

note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

note: the preliminary 2011 numbers differ significantly from those of 2010, which were strongly influenced by the demographic effect of the January 2010 earthquake; the latest figures more closely correspond to those of 2009 (2011 est.)

Elections this summer have produced overwhelming victories for the charismatic populists who dominate the national governments in Venezuela and Haiti. But those victories have also evoked growing concern in the regional press that heated political confrontation, and eroding checks on executive power have further weakened democratic institutions and exacerbated economic problems in the Caribbean.

The assassination triggered a week of rampage and political turmoil in Haiti: Jean Dominique, 69, the country’s most revered journalist, was gunned down in early April in Port-au-Prince outside the radio station he had founded.